A ravine and catchment pond stand between the lava flow and the facility.
Lava from Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii just won’t stop, and it has now forced its way inside the grounds of a $3.5 million waste and recycling center after burning down a house.
Hawaii officials said the lava went through a fence on the southwest corner of the facility about 300 feet from the building. The lava has been slowly advancing on the village of Pahoa for months since the August eruption. Since Monday, the lava near the transfer station has advanced about 660 feet, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Officials have been bracing for the lava to hit the facility for months, with the county’s Department of Environmental Management preparing for the building’s destruction as early as September. The county has already put a temporary transfer station into action as a precautionary move.
There is currently a ravine and a catchment pond between where the lava entered the facility’s grounds and the facility itself.
Meanwhile, three breakout lava flows have continued the advance after the flow’s front stalled. Right now, they don’t immediately threaten residents, but Hawaii officials will be watching.
Kilauea has been in a state of eruption since 1983. It is considered a hyperactive “shield” volcano, and it is the most active of all five volcanoes that form the islands of Hawaii. Some call it the most active volcano on earth. It is located on the southern shore of the state’s largest island.
Leave a Reply